MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Jeffery Merkley

Interview

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HAYES: For more on who`s calling the shots to the FBI`s investigation and  what they`re looking for I`m joined by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of  Oregon. Where is your understanding, Senator, of who is in charge of this  and who sort of dictates the approach in the scope?

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D), OREGON: Well, Chris, ultimately it`s the  President`s direction. And clearly, he was trying to limit it as much as  he possibly could. He`s now made a public statement saying that he has  this expanded vision but who knows what his team is doing privately. And  the fact that so many individuals, several days into this have not been  contacted, that`s a very bad sign.

After all, the FBI is a very large organization. They can assign an agent  to every single one of these individuals. They certainly could have  responded to their request and that`s got a little time to talk to them. I  hope that these interviews that we`re holding in the press are lighting the  fire under them because it`s really outrageous that they are moving so  slowly.

HAYES: I want to get your reaction -- Mitch McConnell who is -- you know,  if it`s Senate Republicans in the White House who are directing this and  the judiciary can -- stuff, you can get a sense of how they view this  whether there are sort of persuadable on this than Mitch McConnell`s words  on the Senate floor today. He had some very harsh words. He talked about  McCarthyism and he talked about a lot of stuff. This is one of the things  he had to say where he accused Democrats of engaging in bad faith. Take a  listen, if you can give me a reaction.

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HAYES: Your reaction?

MERKLEY: Well, Mitch McConnell has really been conspiring with the  President to limit the information that the Senate receives. After all,  the president put a hundred thousand pages under the mark of presidential  privilege that we`ve never received. About key issues where there seems to  be discrepancies regarding torture, regarding what judge nominations that  Kavanaugh was involved in. regarding the receipt of stolen information and  stolen documents. And so there`s a tremendous amount of relevant review of  Kavanaugh`s record that hasn`t taken place and Mitch McConnell`s right at  the middle of it.

And for him to now be trying to say well, I`m going to prepare to justify a  very limited FBI investigation by claiming an expanded one is inappropriate  or outrageous request. No, this should be a thorough FBI investigation and  Mitch McConnell needs to stand up for the principles of fairness and  thoroughness. The Senate has a responsibility to review Kavanaugh`s  record. They haven`t been able to do it, key records have been blocked,  key witnesses have been blocked, and certainly, the FBI hasn`t done its job 
yet.

HAYES: Is it -- what is being communicated to you in the Democratic caucus  about this timeline? I mean, is the understanding that there is going to  be a vote this week? Have you been told that? Is that going to happen?

MERKLEY: Well, we came back in this evening. We`ll be having a caucus  tomorrow, I`m sure we`ll learn more. But what we`re certainly hearing  through the various grapevines is that Mitch McConnell`s determined to keep  us in and jam this vote through before more information comes out.

HAYES: Final question. All of the information that`s being collected will  go in the background file that the FBI keeps on nominees which is  accessible only to members of the U.S. Senate and not public for good  reason we should note. The privacy here is important of this process. Is  your -- is it your understanding that will remain there, that senators will  be able to view it but not public?

MERKLEY: I am not confident we`ll be able to see all of the information in  part because I just up to this point the FBI doesn`t seem to be doing all  the thorough work and that`s going to do some kind of a decision in the FBI  what they share. So I am -- I am -- I want to be proven wrong that the FBI  really is doing a thorough investigation. But just the comments that you - - from your reporter a few moments ago, that so many key people who have  tried to come forward and contact the FBI, the FBI is not responding,  that`s a very bad sign about the legitimacy of this effort.

HAYES: All right, Senator Jeff Merkley, thanks for your time tonight.

MERKLEY: You`re welcome.

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